Fuzzy deutzia

Fuzzy deutzia: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Upright, later slightly arching shrub, 2–3 m tall and about 2 m wide.

Leaves

Oval to lance-shaped, 3–8 cm, opposite, matt green and rough with star-shaped hairs; deciduous.

Flowers

Upright panicles of 8–15 cm with white, star-shaped flowers in June–July; single or double, sometimes flushed pink.

Bark

Brown to orange-brown; on older stems it peels in long strips.

Roots

Fairly shallow and fibrous: young shrubs transplant well.

Flowering: June–July · Plants: March–April and October–November · Pruning: July–August

Why grow it?

• Abundant flowers in June–July, just as the spring shrubs have finished.
• Easy and tough: it grows in almost any soil, including chalk and clay.
• Bees and other insects readily visit the single flowers.
• A good background shrub for a border or an informal flowering hedge.
• The peeling bark of older stems adds a little interest even in winter.

Fuzzy deutzia: where does it grow best?

• Sun or part shade; it flowers most freely in full sun.
• Any good garden soil: sand, loam or clay, acid to chalky.
• Normally moist: not too dry, but no waterlogging either.
• A spot with some shelter from late frost protects the young shoots in spring.
• Allow 1.5–2 m per plant; for an informal hedge, plant 1 m apart.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Sand, loam or clay

Acidity

Not fussy

Moisture

Normal

Size

3 m tall, 2 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -25 °C)

Goes well with

• Mock orange: Flowers at the same time, with white, strongly scented blooms.
• Shrub roses: Colour in June–July beside the white panicles.
• Hardy geranium: Flowering ground cover that hides the base of the shrub.
• Lady’s mantle: Fresh green leaves and small yellow flower heads at the front of the border.
• Lilac: Flowers earlier, in May, so the border stays in flower for longer.

Fuzzy deutzia: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–April and October–November.

1. Plant in March–April or October–November, when the ground is neither frozen nor waterlogged.
2. Dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball and mix in some compost.
3. Set the plant at the same depth as it was in the pot and firm the soil well.
4. Leave 1.5–2 m between plants, or 1 m for an informal hedge.
5. Water generously straight away and regularly in dry spells during the first year.
6. Mulch around the base with compost or wood chips.

Care

Watering

In the first year during dry spells; after that only in long dry periods.

Feeding

In March–April, a layer of compost or a little organic fertiliser for flowering shrubs.

Mulching

A layer of compost or wood chips in spring keeps the soil moist and weed-free.

Spent flowers

No need to remove them separately: they go with the pruning after flowering.

Renewal

Removing a few old stems every year keeps the shrub vigorous and free-flowering.

Tip: Prune straight after flowering and take out a few of the oldest stems at the base every year. That way new young stems keep coming, and they flower freely the following year.

Fuzzy deutzia: when to prune it?

Pruning months: July–August.

When: Straight after flowering, in July–August. It flowers on last year’s wood.

How:

• Every year, cut a quarter to a third of the oldest stems out at the base.
• Cut flowered stems back to a strong young side shoot lower down.
• Remove dead, weak and crossing stems.
• A neglected shrub can be cut back to 30–50 cm in one go after flowering; it regrows well but skips a year of flowering.

Caution: Do not prune in winter or spring: you would remove the stems that were due to flower that year.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Softwood cuttings

In June–July, take 10 cm cuttings from young, non-flowering shoots and root them in moist cutting compost under plastic. They root within a few weeks.

Hardwood cuttings

In November–December, push 20–25 cm lengths of ripe one-year-old stems two-thirds deep into the soil in a sheltered spot. They root during the following year.

Layering

In spring, peg a low branch into the soil; sever it after a year and replant it.

Fuzzy deutzia: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −25 °C.

• Hardy to about −25 °C: no protection is needed in Belgium.
• Late frost in April can damage young shoots and flower buds; cut off frosted tips once the cold has passed.
• In a pot: stand it against a wall in winter and wrap the pot in hessian.

Diseases and pests

• Few flowers: Usually caused by pruning in winter or spring, or by too much shade. From now on, prune straight after flowering.
• Frosted shoots: Brown, limp tips after a late frost. Cut them back to healthy wood; the shrub will regrow.
• Aphids: On young shoots in May–June. Natural predators usually deal with them; otherwise hose them off.
• Old, bare shrub: Without renewal pruning it becomes bare at the base and only flowers at the top. Remove a few old stems at the base every year.

Through the year

• March: Plant. Give compost or organic fertiliser.
• April: Plant. Watch out for late frost.
• May: The flower buds swell. Watch for aphids.
• June: Full flower. Take softwood cuttings.
• July: Last flowers. Prune after flowering: old stems out at the base.
• August: Finish pruning. Water in dry spells.
• October: Plant. Leaf fall.
• November: Plant. Take hardwood cuttings.
• December: Dormant. Take hardwood cuttings.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• The genus is named after Johan van der Deutz, an Amsterdam patron of the Swedish botanist Carl Peter Thunberg, who collected plants in Japan.
• Scabra means ‘rough’: thanks to the star-shaped hairs, the leaf feels like fine sandpaper.
• Deutzia belongs to the same family as hydrangea and mock orange.